ABSTRACTConditions for depositing quasi-stoichiometric silicon nitride films by low-temperature, remote plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition, RPECVD, have been identified using on-line Auger electron spectroscopy, AES, and off-line optical and infrared, IR, spectroscopies. Quasi-stoichiometric films, by the definition propose in this paper, do not display spectroscopic evidence for Si-Si bonds, but contain bonded-H in Si-H and Si-NH arrangements. Incorporation of RPECVD nitrides into transistor devices has demonstrated that electrical performance is optimized when the films are quasi-stoichiometric with relatively low Si-NH concentrations.
